Darkest Dungeon 2 - Inhuman Bondage DLC expands the roguelike with a new region

With Darkest Dungeon 2 approaching its second anniversary, developer Red Hook Studios has delivered the game’s second major DLC, Inhuman Bondage. It adds a new region, a new playable character, and I got to play it ahead of release.

One of the most notable additions in the DLC is the new playable hero, The Abomination. This character was originally featured in the first Darkest Dungeon and boasts different ability sets based on his current form. The character is fully voiced and has flashback encounters that players can play through to learn more about his origin.

The Abomination’s unique combat mechanic adds a fun wrinkle to every engagement and makes for some excellent experimentation with the DLCs other offerings. That said, The Abomination won’t be immediately playable when firing up Inhuman Bondage; players will have to unlock the character’s hero shrines in Confessions before they can add him to their roster.

Red Hook Studios has also introduced a brand-new region in the Catacombs. It’s described as a “high risk, high reward” area where players will face-off with a slimy new enemy faction. These creatures are reminiscent of D&D’s Gelatinous Cube and present a new challenge through their staunch defense and hard-hitting physical attacks. The Catacombs can be explored in both Confessions and Kingdoms.

Speaking of Kingdoms, this new mode is launching as part of a free update to coincide with the release of Inhuman Bondage. Kingdoms takes the familiar mechanics of Confessions mode and turns them on their head. Players must defend the realm from incoming attacks, traveling the region to complete quests, upgrade their arsenal, and eventually take on a final boss. The map is traveled via stagecoach, and players can stop at inns and upgrade them for further bonuses.

Kingdoms features three adventure modes. The first one, Hunger of the Beast Clan, sees players defending the realm from the violent beastmen. The other two adventures, which will bring new factions of their own, are set to arrive later on in 2025.

Darkest Dungeon 2’s Inhuman Bondage DLC provides a necessary change of pace from the base game, with a new mode that forces players to rethink their existing strategies, and enough added content that makes it worth jumping back in for anyone who had moved on from the indie roguelike.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_